1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates to lifts for use in a home bathroom to enable a handicapped person to enter the bathtub where the person may take a soaking bath.
2. Prior Background Art
Various devices have been presented in the prior art to enable a handicapped person to move from a seated position on a wheelchair to a seated position within a bathtub. All these devices are characterized by a vertical column along which a seat support travels up and down to raise and lower a person in the seat. The seat support also rotates about the vertical column to move the person from a position above the floor of the bathroom to a position above the floor of the tub. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,905,327 to Boublil issued May 6, 1990, and 4,928,330, issued to Moore on May 29, 1990, are representative of such devices.
It is personal misfortune when a person becomes handicapped. Not only are his activities restricted, but more often than not the financial burden of providing for "ordinary" needs can become enormous. The simple act of soaking in a tub filled with warm water often becomes impossible to achieve. Bathrooms are renovated and shower stalls which accommodate a wheelchair are installed. Of those devices available to transfer a handicapped person into a bathtub, the costs are great and often the devices consume much of the available space and require professionals to install.
It is the intention of the present invention to provide a relatively inexpensive lift which can be readily installed by a handyman.
It is a further intention of the invention that a simple, prefabricated sub-assembly will be made commercially available, such that a person in possession of the sub-assembly need buy only some standard materials to complete an installation.